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Speaker 1: I'm John Stanghi and today we're in Second Kings, chapter seventeen,
Speaker 1: and we'll be reading from the new English translation. In
Speaker 1: the twelfth year of King Ahaz's reign over Judah, Hoshea,
Speaker 1: son of Elah, became king over Israel. He reigned in
Speaker 1: Samaria for nine years. He did evil in the sight
Speaker 1: of the Lord, but not to the same degree as
Speaker 1: the Israelite kings who preceded him. King Shalmaneser of Assyria
Speaker 1: threatened him. Hosheia became his subject and paid him tribute.
Speaker 1: The King of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was planning a revolt.
Speaker 1: Hoshea had sent messengers to King so of Egypt and
Speaker 1: had not sent his annual tribute to the King of Assyria.
Speaker 1: So the King of Assyria arrested him and imprisoned him.
Speaker 1: The King of Assyria marched through the whole land. He
Speaker 1: attacked Samaria and besieged it for three years. In the
Speaker 1: ninth year of Hoshea's reign, the King of Assyria captured
Speaker 1: Samaria and deported the people of Israel to Assyria. He
Speaker 1: settled them in Halla, along the Habor, the river of Gozen,
Speaker 1: and in the cities of the Medes. This happened because
Speaker 1: the Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who brought
Speaker 1: them up from the land of Egypt and freed them
Speaker 1: from the power of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. They worshiped
Speaker 1: other gods. They observed the practices of the nations whom
Speaker 1: the Lord had driven out from before Israel, and followed
Speaker 1: the example of the kings of Israel. The Israelites said
Speaker 1: things about the Lord their God that were not right.
Speaker 1: They built high places and all their cities, from the
Speaker 1: watchtower to the fortress. They set up sacred pillars and
Speaker 1: a sheerer polls on every high hill and under every
Speaker 1: green tree. They burned incense on all the high places,
Speaker 1: just like the nations whom the Lord had driven away
Speaker 1: from before them. Their evil practices made the Lord angry.
Speaker 1: They worshiped the disgusting idols in blatant disregard of the
Speaker 1: Lord's command. The Lord solemnly warned Israel and Judah through
Speaker 1: all his prophets and all the seers, turned back from
Speaker 1: your evil ways, obey my commandments and rules that are
Speaker 1: recorded in the law. I ordered your ancestors to keep
Speaker 1: this law and sent my servants, the prophets, to remind
Speaker 1: you of its demands. But they did not pay attention
Speaker 1: and were as stubborn as their ancestors, who had not
Speaker 1: trusted the Lord their god. They rejected his rules, the
Speaker 1: covenant he had made with their ancestors, and the laws
Speaker 1: he had commanded them to obey. They paid allegiance to
Speaker 1: worthless idols, and so became worthless to the Lord. They
Speaker 1: copied the practices of the surrounding nations in blatant disregard
Speaker 1: of the Lord's command. They abandoned all the commandments of
Speaker 1: the Lord their God. They made two metal calves and
Speaker 1: an ashi a poll, bowed down to all the stars
Speaker 1: in the sky, and worshiped bail. They passed their sons
Speaker 1: and daughters through the fire, and practiced divination and omen reading.
Speaker 1: They committed themselves to doing evil in the sight of
Speaker 1: the Lord and made him angry. So the Lord was
Speaker 1: furious with Israel and rejected them. Only the tribe of
Speaker 1: Judah was left. Judah also failed to keep the commandments
Speaker 1: of the Lord their god. They followed Israel's example. So
Speaker 1: the Lord rejected all of Israel's descendants. He humiliated them
Speaker 1: and handed them over to robbers until he had thrown
Speaker 1: them from his presence. He tore Israel away from David's dynasty,
Speaker 1: and Jeroboam's son of Nebat, became their king. Jeroboam drove
Speaker 1: Israel away from the Lord and encouraged them to commit
Speaker 1: a serious sin. The Israelites followed in the sinful ways
Speaker 1: of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, and did not repudiate them. Finally,
Speaker 1: the Lord rejected Israel, just as he had warned he
Speaker 1: would do through all his servants the prophets. Israel was
Speaker 1: deported from its land to Assyria and remains there to
Speaker 1: this very day. The King of Assyria brought foreigners from
Speaker 1: Babylon kuthah, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in
Speaker 1: the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites. They
Speaker 1: took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. They
Speaker 1: first moved in, they did not worship the Lord, so
Speaker 1: the Lord sent lions among them, and the lions were
Speaker 1: killing them. The king of Assyria was told the nations
Speaker 1: whom you deported and settled in the cities of Samaria
Speaker 1: do not know the requirements of the God of the land.
Speaker 1: So he has sent lions among them. They are killing
Speaker 1: the people because they do not know the requirements of
Speaker 1: the God of the land. So the King of Assyria
Speaker 1: ordered take back one of the priests whom you deported
Speaker 1: from there. He must settle there and teach them the
Speaker 1: requirements of the God of the land. So one of
Speaker 1: the priests whom they had deported from Samaria went back
Speaker 1: and settled in Bethel. He taught them how to worship
Speaker 1: the Lord. But each of these nations made its own
Speaker 1: gods and put them in the shrines on the high
Speaker 1: places that the people of Samaria had made. Each nation
Speaker 1: did this in the cities where they lived. The people
Speaker 1: from Babylon made Sucketh Benath, the people from Kuth made Nergal,
Speaker 1: the people from Hamath made Ashimah. The Avites made Nibhaz
Speaker 1: and Tartak, and the Cepharvites burned their sons in the
Speaker 1: fire as an offering to Adrammelek and Animelek, the gods
Speaker 1: of Sephar Vain. At the same time they worshiped the Lord,
Speaker 1: they appointed some of their own people to serve as
Speaker 1: priests in the shrines on the high places. They were
Speaker 1: worshiping the Lord and at the same time serving their
Speaker 1: own gods, in accordance with the practices of the nations
Speaker 1: from which they had been deported. To this very day,
Speaker 1: they observed their earlier practices. They do not worship the Lord.
Speaker 1: They do not obey the rules, regulations, law, and commandments
Speaker 1: that the Lord gave The descendants of Jacob, whom he
Speaker 1: renamed Israel. Made an agreement with them and instructed them,
Speaker 1: you must not worship other gods. Do not bow down
Speaker 1: to them, serve them, or offer sacrifices to them. Instead,
Speaker 1: you must worship the Lord, who brought you up from
Speaker 1: the land of Egypt by his great power and military ability,
Speaker 1: bow down to him and offer sacrifices to him. You
Speaker 1: must carefully obey at all times the rules, regulations, law,
Speaker 1: and commandments he wrote down for you. You must not
Speaker 1: worship other gods. You must never forget the agreement I
Speaker 1: made with you, and you must not worship other gods. Instead,
Speaker 1: you must worship the Lord, your God. Then he will
Speaker 1: rescue you from the power of all your enemies, but
Speaker 1: they pay no attention. Instead, they observe their earlier practices.
Speaker 1: These nations are worshiping the Lord and at the same
Speaker 1: time serve their idols. Their sons and grandsons do just
Speaker 1: as their fathers have done to this very day. Let's pray, Lord,
Speaker 1: we thank you for your word, and we thank you
Speaker 1: for all the things that you make abundantly clear to
Speaker 1: us when we read it. And Lord, we could see
Speaker 1: by example that the people of Israel and Judah, even
Speaker 1: though they had been rescued by you, even though you
Speaker 1: had established them in their land, and even though you
Speaker 1: continually sent your message to them through the prophets, they
Speaker 1: went their own way. And Lord, we could see that
Speaker 1: the people living in the land of Israel made it
Speaker 1: a pattern and a practice to follow the customs of
Speaker 1: the nations that you had driven out of that land.
Speaker 1: They worshiped idols, they sacrificed their children, and then those
Speaker 1: that came after them paid lip service to worshiping You.
Speaker 1: They worshiped their former gods while at the same time
Speaker 1: claiming to be worshipers of yours. And Lord, that's the
Speaker 1: spot that we can find ourselves very easily in as well. Lord,
Speaker 1: we know that salvation comes only through faith in your
Speaker 1: son Jesus Christ, and so we pray Lord that you'd
Speaker 1: help us to have genuine faith in your son. But
Speaker 1: we know, Lord that so often we can find ourselves
Speaker 1: trying to find satisfaction for our hearts and for our
Speaker 1: souls through lesser things, through the idols that we invite
Speaker 1: into our lives. But Lord, we know that that's not
Speaker 1: your desire for us, and so we pray Lord that
Speaker 1: you'd help us, by your grace, as your Holy Spirit
Speaker 1: illuminates this truth to our hearts, to identify things that
Speaker 1: we've welcomed into our lives as idols, that we would
Speaker 1: cast them aside, and that we would worship you sincerely
Speaker 1: and truly all the days of our lives. Lord, we
Speaker 1: love you. We thank you for your love for us,
Speaker 1: We thank you for your patience with us, and we
Speaker 1: pray Lord that you'd help us to conform to the
Speaker 1: image of your son Jesus Christ throughout the course of
Speaker 1: this day and every day that we we commit this
Speaker 1: day Lord to your care. We thank you that you're
Speaker 1: with us in the midst of it, and we pray
Speaker 1: this all in Jesus' name Amen